Exploring Language

7.2 Bilingualism

downloadable survey

            

Did you know that knowing more than one language is good for your brain? It makes you smarter! Researchers have discovered that people who know more than one language can more easily focus on two tasks at the same time, and they are able to think more analytically; they are good at solving various kinds of mental puzzles. Very cool!

 

Do you know more than one English? Conduct a survey in your class to find out what languages are connected to your classroom.

 

What other languages are spoken in your classmates’ homes? Make a list.

Are there languages that are spoken by family members at home but that the student doesn’t know?

If another language is spoken at home, is English also spoken?

Do any students serve as translators for family members who do not speak English or do not speak it well?

 

What are some of the challenges of having one language spoken at home and a different one in school?

What are some of the benefits?

What other languages would you like to learn and why?

 

 

key words: bilingualism, code-switching

 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. 

 

Here is this lesson as a pdf.